Neeraj Khemlani, CBS President, Is Stepping Down
The CBS News president Neeraj Khemlani stepped down on Sunday after a little more than two years in his post, the latest executive reshuffling in a tumultuous period for television news.
Mr. Khemlani had been in charge of flagship programs such as “CBS Evening News,” and “60 Minutes.” He will remain at CBS in a different capacity, he told staff in an internal email. He has signed a multiyear deal to develop content for the conglomerate, including documentaries, series and books.
“It’s an opportunity that will allow me to write, report and develop stories that I’ve long wanted to pursue,” Mr. Khemlani said in the email.
His replacement was not immediately named. He had been co-head of the news division with the local news veteran Wendy McMahon, who will remain in her role.
Mr. Khemlani’s departure was earlier reported by The New York Post.
In a note to the staff on Sunday, the CBS chief executive, George Cheeks, wrote that Mr. Khlemlani, a former executive at Hearst, should be credited with putting “new business plans in place to drive more revenue, which is essential in a challenging environment for all media companies.”
CBS has mostly eluded the spotlight shone on rivals in recent months. Just this year, Chris Licht was fired as CNN’s chief after 13 months on the job, while Fox News was roiled by a nearly $800 million settlement in a defamation lawsuit over the station’s promotion of misinformation after the 2020 election.